Why Two is a Great Team Size

Working on a new web development project as a team of two, I’m struck by how productive it is.

No time is wasted in meetings. When we meet, we get things done. Momentum is all there is.

When I started my software business in 2005, we were also a team of two. We completed our first project in weeks, including getting familiar with the Ruby on Rails framework.

There is something special about teams of two. They hit the sweet spot in productivity and skill. They are faster than teams of one or three.

In a team of one, no one balances you out. If you take a wrong turn, no one corrects you. If you get distracted, no one pulls you back. You work with focus, but not necessarily on the right thing.

A team of three has more skills than a team of two. However, with triple the relationships, the cost in overhead is steep. A quick call turns into a scheduled meeting. Decisions take longer. Put simply, you get 150% capability at 300% the coordination cost.

Recently, I watched the 1973 movie The Day of the Jackal, in which Inspector Lebel is hunting down an assassin hired to kill President De Gaulle. When offered the full resources of the French government, Lebel asks for only one colleague: “Just Caron.” He understands that given the urgency, he needs a team of two.

So when you take on a challenging task, start with a team of two. Don’t mobilize an army. Be like Inspector Lebel.

“No one else, just Caron.”